Why Give Thanks at All?

Psalm 136 (NIV)

¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
² Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.

⁴ to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
⁵ who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
⁶ who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
⁷ who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.
⁸ the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
⁹ the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.

¹⁰ to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His love endures forever.
¹¹ and brought Israel out from among them
His love endures forever.
¹² with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
His love endures forever.

¹³ to him who divided the Red Sea asunder
His love endures forever.
¹⁴ and brought Israel through the midst of it,
His love endures forever.
¹⁵ but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
His love endures forever.

¹⁶ to him who led his people through the wilderness;
His love endures forever.

¹⁷ to him who struck down great kings,
His love endures forever.
¹⁸ and killed mighty kings—
His love endures forever.
¹⁹ Sihon king of the Amorites
His love endures forever.
²⁰ and Og king of Bashan—
His love endures forever.
²¹ and gave their land as an inheritance,
His love endures forever.
²² an inheritance to his servant Israel.
His love endures forever.

²³ He remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.
²⁴ and freed us from our enemies.
His love endures forever.
²⁵ He gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.

²⁶ Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.

The first verse answers the question. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. He is good. His heart, actions, activity, his all is good. In seasons of difficult circumstances or loss or life we doubt He is good because among other things we cannot see the outcome or understand the purpose. Let me encourage you to put to "hide in your heart" like Mary the mother of Jesus these words, "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good." It has been said, "When you can't see the hand of God trust his heart."

You can, For He is good."

In HIS Service and Yours.

BroG

The days before Thanksgiving 2016!

                That of course means Christmas is right around the corner. I guess the election has captured my attention this year so as to distract me from the Christmas decorations that have been on sale since August (maybe earlier). I am writing Thursday one week before Thanksgiving, the weather has turned cooler here in south Georgia more like the season but my heart and mind have not turned to giving thanks.

                I’m thankful but I’m not feeling it. Maybe that means I am not really thankful. My issue is all I can see is what I’ve got to do and what is not done. There I’ve said it. I can’t seem to get anything completed. There is always one more hiccup, one more delay, one more piece of information needed that I don’t have or cannot get.

                I get a lot of satisfaction from completing a task or event, maybe too much. It is satisfying to me to conclude a quest, trip or project. Of course, it is not complete until it is cleaned up but even then there is a level of satisfaction for me that comes from the promise of completion and/or seeing it on the horizon. Right now I just can’t seem to even get to a point to see the horizon of completion. It’s just where I am. I don’t like it. So, it is hard for me to be thankful.

                In my less than stellar moments, I am tempted to quit, just walk away and forget about it. It’s easier. On the surface that is. The problem is I am a duty/completion kind of guy. It would bug me forever knowing that was left undone. The other problem is it is not of God. That is me being overwhelmed for a moment in life and choosing an outcome that while being freeing and satisfying at that moment would not benefit me in the future nor my relationship with God. It’s a struggle to believe God has got this when nothing seems to be moving towards completion and I’m tired of pushing. There is always something else to get done. It just never stops! Does it?

                Some of you know, I mean really KNOW what I’m saying. Elijah did too. Paul did as well. Hmm, life is like that but both of these men of God called out to God for their relief. You know, I would guess you like me, have not done that yet. We have been trying to do all of this “God stuff” on our own for Him instead of with Him following Him and we wonder why we are tired. The weight of our world is a lot.

                This phrase comes to mind from “Dear Younger Me” by Mercy Me, “You were never meant to carry this beyond the cross.” The cross is the end of the line our freedom. All that matters was done and taken care of at the cross.

Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. 1 Thess. 5:16-18 MSG

Let us slow down and BE Thankful for ALL of God's Blessings! 

In HIS Service and Yours.

BroG 

Who would have thought?

                I was genuinely surprised Wednesday morning (like this little one to the right) with the election outcome. I was really surprised. I had drunk the media cool-aid and so I was surprised. I was not the only one, duh! Again I have been surprised by the gloating on the part of some and the despair on the part of others. It is confusing to me unless you consider some think this reality is all there is, then their response makes sense.

                Equally confusing and more disappointing is the response of some Christians to the political outcome and others sounding like Chicken Little “the sky is falling.” Really? I thought we got that figured out when we read Revelation 21-22? Seems we should have understood at our salvation eternity awaits us? But by our words and worry, I guess not. So what about our situation? Jesus has some words for both “sides.”

^28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”   Matthew 11:28-30 The Message (MSG)

                We could replace “religion” with “politics” following this campaign. But the invitation is still the same. Jesus invites us to himself. Not his surrogate, study plan, sermon series no himself. He is the key. “Learn the unforced rhythms of grace,” that phrase convicts me every time (including today) when I get stressed, worried, overwhelmed, well you know.

                We never see Jesus in a hurry in the New Testament. We never see him worried or fearful. No, he has a confidence not cockiness but a certainty in His Father and His plan for Jesus’ life. He follows his Father’s lead for life and living and is comfortable and committed to it. That path is not usually a straight line to a destination but rather a straight line to a destiny for a life lost in the world. Consider the woman at the well in Samaria, NOT on the way to Jerusalem.

                Another aspect of the unforced rhythm of grace is a willingness to let life come to you. There is a saying in sports when a player is trying to force shots to make something happen. They need to let the game come to them. NASCAR drivers face the same with car setups and conditions to be ready when the race comes to them. You and I must count on the promise of God for our good welfare and allow life and it’s circumstances to come to us. We need to be ready “in season and out” to run with the ball God hands to us. But we have to wait for it to come to us and not help Him out. That is unforced grace! It is the life Jesus lived and will live in us as we trust Him in us! 

                                                                                                                                               In HIS Service and Yours.

BroG